Definition And Scope of Pharmacy
The word 'pharmacy is derived from the Greek word pharmakon,
meaning medicine or drug. Pharmacy was considered as an art of
compounding and dispensing of medicines at the counter. With the
advancement of science and growing needs of people for quality products, a lot of progress has been made in the profession of pharmacy. The
drugs handled by present day pharmacist differ greatly from those used
by his predecessors fifty years back. Now the drugs are manufactured in
bulk by the pharmaceutical industry and are distributed or sold among
the consumers by the pharmacist.
Pharmacy is now defined as that profession, which is concerned with
the art and science of preparing from natural and synthetic sources,
suitable and convenient materials for distribution and use in the treat-
It provides a knowledge of the
ment and prevention, of disease.
identification, selection, synthesis, pharmacological action, formulation,
preservation, analysis and standardisation of drugs and medicines. It
also includes their proper and safe distribution and use of drugs.
Dispensing means to prepare and supply of medicine to an individual
patient, in accordance with the prescription of practitioner. For proper
dispensing of medicines, it is essential that present day pharmacist
should have a sound knowledge of various branches of pharmacy, such
as, pharmaceutics, pharmaceutical chemistry, pharmacognosy, pharma-
cology, microbiology, pharmaceutical technology and forensic pharmacy.
For compounding, stability during storage, packaging, physican incompatibilities of drugs need a background of pharmaceutical chemistry.
Pharmaceutical dosages, uses and therapeutic incompatibilities are ex-
plained only if a pharmacist has complete knowledge of pharmacology.
Preservation of drugs during storage requires a complete knowledge of
microbiology. A knowledge of pharmaceutical technology is essential to
understand the basic principles of various techniques of dispensing such
as, size reduction, size separation, mixIng, solution and filtration. The
study of forensic pharmacy is helpful in understanding the condition
under which a prescription can be dispensed, labelling of the containers
and to maintain the records of prescriptions which are dispensed,
Nowadays, an art of compounding and a high degree of skill is not
needed to dispense the drugs. Extemporaneous dispensing has been
greatly reduced in favour of medicaments presented in unit dosage forms.
Scope of Pharmacy
There is a wide scope of pharmacy profession. A pharmacist is a
specialist in medication, custodian of medical information, companion of
the physician, counsellor to the patient and guardian of the public health.
Since he can perform a number of roles, so he can adopt any one of the
following fields of pharmacy to earn his livelíhood:
1. Community pharmacy:
A pharmacist having an aptitude for
business can open a retail drug store to serve the community. Some big
drug stores engage number of pharmacists, so as to run them smoothly.
Community pharmacist is a unique hybrid of businessman and profes-
sional. He is usually the best educated and informed person, so he holds
a unique position in the community. He is the most available profes-
sional. No pre-appointments are needed to talk with him. He does not
charge for his professional advise. So he has more intimate contact with
the patients than a doctor.
2. Wholesale pharmacy:
It offers opportunities to a limited number
of pharmacist to run wholesale business of drugs and medicines. The
wholesaler serve as a middleman between manufacturer and retailer.
The wholesalers buy goods in large quantities from the producer and sell
them to the retailers. They keep huge stock of goods to meet the
requirements of retailers without delay. They also provide credit facili-
ties to the retailers and thus finances the retail trade.
3. Industrial pharmacy:
Pharmaceutical industry offers opportu-
nity to pharmacist of all educational levels. It provides job to a
pharmacist in the following fields:
1.Production
2.Analytical and quality control
3.Research and development
4.Marketing and sale
Production : In production, the pharmacist work as manufactur-
ng chemist. He has to supervise the production of various types of
Pharmaceutical formulations, packaging, labelling and storage.
Normally a single manufacturing chemistry look after the production in a small scale unit but in Big concerns are separate manufacturing chemist is employed to look after an individual formulation section such as tablet section syrup section capsule section ointment section etc generally pharmacist with bachelor degree in pharmacy are absorbed as manufacturing chemist.
Analytical and quality control;-
A manufacturing unit needs the service of analytical chemist in its analytical laboratory to the test testing of raw material and finished goods manufactured by it the requirement of number of penalentical chemistry depend on the workload in the analytical laboratory those manufacturing units which cannot afford to maintain analytical laboratory of their own can get their products tested from private analytical laboratories or from state drug control laboratories normally pharmacist with bachelor degree in pharmacy get the job of analytical chemist.
Research and development-;
The big pharmaceutical houses
have their own separate research and development unit. A pharmacist
having doctorate degree or master degree in pharmacy is ideally suited
for product development in pharmaceutical industry.
Research and development unit is generally engage in the following
fields:
(a) The synthesis of new compounds to be used as drugs, cosmetics,excipients, industrial chemicals and preservatives.
(B) Research on cultivation of medicinal plants.
(C) The isolation and purification of the active principles of plant and animal tissues, the determination of their chemical composition and further its synthesis.
(d) The preparation of drugs in suitable dosage forms designed and its testing to find the bio-availability of drug.
(e) The physical, chemical and biological standardisation of drugs
(F) Research on the pharmacodynamics and toxicology of new drugs.
(g) The stability of dosage form during its storage and finding its date of expiry.
(h) The investigation of the suitability of proposed packaging materials and containers.
Pharmaceutical marketing and sales
Pharmaceutical marketing mean the performance of pharmaceutical business activities that direct the flow of pharmaceutical formulations and services from producer to the consumers. The pharmaceutical marketing is an indirect marketing where consumer have no choice to buy the medicine of its own he has to purchase the drugs which is prescribed by the physician show the main job in pharmaceutical marketing in is to influence the physicians pharmaceuticals industry engage medical representatives or detail main to make contact with individual physician regular intervals for the purpose of product promotion this can be regarding career for person with right personality and motivation consist of medical representative salary percentage field officer area manager and sales manager.
4. Pharmacy education:
Due to rapid growth of pharmaceutical
industry and expansion of health services in the country, the demand of
pharmacists have increased many a times. In order to fulfil the demand,
there is steep increase in the number of pharmacy teaching institutions in
the country. There is a need for qualified and experienced faculty
members. So there is a big scope for fresh pharmacy post graduates to
be absorbed as faculty members in these new institutions.
5. Hospital pharmacy:
The practice of pharmacy within the
hospital under the supervision of a professional pharmacist, is known as
hospital pharmacy. The hospital pharmacy is organised in an integrated
manner and consists of various divisions like compounding and dispens
ing, manufacturing of transfusion fluids and its quality control, supply of
drugs to various indoor wards, research, education, training and library.
The head of pharmacy is the chief hospital pharmacist. There may be
one or more assistant chief pharmacist.
pharmacists. The
calculated on the number of beds available in the hospital and its
occupancy rate. As a rule there must be minimum of 3 pharmacists for a
small hospital. A 100 bedded hospital, however, should have at least
5 pharmacists.
The manufacturing unit of the hospital pharmacy is under the charge
of manufacturing chemists approved by drug control authority to manu
facture transfusion fluids and other dosage forms. The analytical chemist maintain the quality control of the manufactured products. The drug
stores of the hospital are under the charge of store officer. A large number or pharmacists can be suitably absorbed in a hospital pharmacy.
6. Drug control administration:
Drug administration is run both at the level of central government as well as at state government. The drugs and cosmetics act provides for the establishment of following agencies to maintain drug control administration
1) Advisory agency:
Advisory agency includes Drugs Technical
Advisory Board and Drugs Consultative Committee, to advise central and state Governments on technical matters related to drugs and cosmetics.
2) Analytical agency:
Analytical agency includes Central Drugs Laboratories and State Drugs Control Laboratories. The main function of these laboratories are to do the analysis and testing of drugs and cosmetics manufactured or sold within their respective areas. Samples or drugs &are taken by drug inspectors during the course of inspection of the licensed manufacturing houses and retail establishments, are required
to be analysed in these laboratories, in order to ascertain whether they come upP to the prescribed standard or not. The analysis in these laboratories are done by GOvernment analyst.
3) Licensing authority :
Licensing authorities are appointed by the
Central Government to issue licences for the import of drugS. The State
Governments appoint licensing authorities for their respective territories
to issue licences for the manufacture and sale of drugs and cosmetics.
State drug controller or director drug control administration is the licens-
ing authority. The state drug controller is assisted by deputy drug
controller, assistant drug controller, senior drug inspectors and drug inspectors.
In drug control administration, there is ample scope of graduate and post graduate pharmacists to be suitably absorbed in different capacities.
7. Pharmaceutical journalism:
8. Radiopharmacy (Nuclear pharmacy):
This is the new field of pharmacy. Radio pharmacy applies the principles and practices of pharmacy and radiochemistry to produce radio active drugs used tor
diagnosis and therapy. Radio active compounds used in human therapy
and diagnosis are radio active drugs. The pharmacists are trained to handle and properly store these radio active drugs.
9. Organisational management:
Organisational management offers an opportunity for pharmacist, who wish to serve national and state pharmaceutical associations and boards of pharmacy in various capacities. Pharmacy Council of India and All India Council of Technical
Education are other bodies where service of experienced pharmacists are needed at various levels. There is less demand of pharmacy persons.But persons with organisational interests and talents will be in great demand and will play an important roles in the future development of pharmacy profession in the country.